Saturday, December 31, 2011

The art of molecular carpet-weaving

The art of molecular carpet-weaving [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 29-Dec-2011
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Contact: Dr. Markus Lackinger
markus.lackinger@tum.de
49-892-179-605
Technische Universitaet Muenchen

2-D networks from boron acids

This release is available in German.

Even the costliest oriental carpets have small mistakes. It is said that pious carpet-weavers deliberately include tiny mistakes in their fine carpets, because only God has the right to be immaculate. Molecular carpets, as the nanotechnology industry would like to have them are as yet in no danger of offending the gods. A team of physicists headed by Dr. Markus Lackinger from the Technische Universitt Mnchen (TUM) und Professor Thomas Bein from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitt Mnchen (LMU) has now developed a process by which they can build up high-quality polymer networks using boron acid components.

The "carpets" that the physicists are working on in their laboratory in the Deutsches Museum Mnchen consist of ordered two-dimensional structures created by self-organized boron acid molecules on a graphite surface. By eliminating water, the molecules bond together in a one-atom thick network held together solely by chemical bonds a fact that makes this network very stable. The regular honey-comb-like arrangement of the molecules results in a nano-structured surface whose pores can be used, for instance, as stable forms for the production of metal nano-particles.

The molecular carpets also come in nearly perfect models; however, these are not very stable, unfortunately. In these models the bonds between the molecules are very weak for instance hydrogen bridge bonds or van der Waals forces. The advantage of this variant is that faults in the regular structure are repaired during the self-organization process bad bonds are dissolved so that proper bonds can form.

However, many applications call for molecular networks that are mechanically, thermally and/or chemically stable. Linking the molecules by means of strong chemical bonds can create such durable molecule carpets. The down side is that the unavoidable weaving mistakes can no longer be corrected due to the great bonding strength.

Markus Lackinger and his colleagues have now found a way to create a molecular carpet with stable covalent bonds without significant weaving mistakes. The method is based on a bonding reaction that creates a molecular carpet out of individual boron acid molecules. It is a condensation reaction in which water molecules are released. If bonding takes place at temperatures of a little over 100C with only a small amount of water present, mistakes can be corrected during weaving. The result is the sought after magic carpet: molecules in a stable and well-ordered one-layer structure.

Markus Lackinger's laboratory is located in the Deutsches Museum Mnchen. There he is doing research at the Chair of Prof. Wolfgang Heckl (TUM School of Education, TU Mnchen). Prof. Bein holds a Chair at the Department of Chemistry at the LMU. The research was conducted in collaboration with Prof. Paul Knochel's work group (LMU) and Physical Electronics GmbH, with funding by the Excellence Cluster Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM) and the Bavarian Research Foundation (BFS).

###

Publication: Synthesis of well-ordered COF monolayers: Surface growth of nanocrystalline precursors versus direct on-surface polycondensation
Jrgen F. Dienstmaier, Alexander M. Gigler, Andreas J. Goetz, Paul Knochel, Thomas Bein, Andrey Lyapin, Stefan Reichlmaier, Wolfgang M. Heckl, and Markus Lackinger
ACS Nano Vol. 5, 12, 9737-9745

Contact person:
Dr. Markus Lackinger
TUM School of Education
Deutsches Museum
Museumsinsel 1
D-80538 Mnchen
Tel: +49 (0)89 / 2179 605
Email: markus.lackinger@tum.de


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


The art of molecular carpet-weaving [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 29-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Dr. Markus Lackinger
markus.lackinger@tum.de
49-892-179-605
Technische Universitaet Muenchen

2-D networks from boron acids

This release is available in German.

Even the costliest oriental carpets have small mistakes. It is said that pious carpet-weavers deliberately include tiny mistakes in their fine carpets, because only God has the right to be immaculate. Molecular carpets, as the nanotechnology industry would like to have them are as yet in no danger of offending the gods. A team of physicists headed by Dr. Markus Lackinger from the Technische Universitt Mnchen (TUM) und Professor Thomas Bein from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitt Mnchen (LMU) has now developed a process by which they can build up high-quality polymer networks using boron acid components.

The "carpets" that the physicists are working on in their laboratory in the Deutsches Museum Mnchen consist of ordered two-dimensional structures created by self-organized boron acid molecules on a graphite surface. By eliminating water, the molecules bond together in a one-atom thick network held together solely by chemical bonds a fact that makes this network very stable. The regular honey-comb-like arrangement of the molecules results in a nano-structured surface whose pores can be used, for instance, as stable forms for the production of metal nano-particles.

The molecular carpets also come in nearly perfect models; however, these are not very stable, unfortunately. In these models the bonds between the molecules are very weak for instance hydrogen bridge bonds or van der Waals forces. The advantage of this variant is that faults in the regular structure are repaired during the self-organization process bad bonds are dissolved so that proper bonds can form.

However, many applications call for molecular networks that are mechanically, thermally and/or chemically stable. Linking the molecules by means of strong chemical bonds can create such durable molecule carpets. The down side is that the unavoidable weaving mistakes can no longer be corrected due to the great bonding strength.

Markus Lackinger and his colleagues have now found a way to create a molecular carpet with stable covalent bonds without significant weaving mistakes. The method is based on a bonding reaction that creates a molecular carpet out of individual boron acid molecules. It is a condensation reaction in which water molecules are released. If bonding takes place at temperatures of a little over 100C with only a small amount of water present, mistakes can be corrected during weaving. The result is the sought after magic carpet: molecules in a stable and well-ordered one-layer structure.

Markus Lackinger's laboratory is located in the Deutsches Museum Mnchen. There he is doing research at the Chair of Prof. Wolfgang Heckl (TUM School of Education, TU Mnchen). Prof. Bein holds a Chair at the Department of Chemistry at the LMU. The research was conducted in collaboration with Prof. Paul Knochel's work group (LMU) and Physical Electronics GmbH, with funding by the Excellence Cluster Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM) and the Bavarian Research Foundation (BFS).

###

Publication: Synthesis of well-ordered COF monolayers: Surface growth of nanocrystalline precursors versus direct on-surface polycondensation
Jrgen F. Dienstmaier, Alexander M. Gigler, Andreas J. Goetz, Paul Knochel, Thomas Bein, Andrey Lyapin, Stefan Reichlmaier, Wolfgang M. Heckl, and Markus Lackinger
ACS Nano Vol. 5, 12, 9737-9745

Contact person:
Dr. Markus Lackinger
TUM School of Education
Deutsches Museum
Museumsinsel 1
D-80538 Mnchen
Tel: +49 (0)89 / 2179 605
Email: markus.lackinger@tum.de


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/tum-tao122911.php

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London Riots: Defining Images of 2011

Some of the most powerful images of England in 2011 are of looters running from burning buildings as the August riots turned parts of London into a war zone.

Following the police shooting of suspected drug-dealer Mark Duggan, a peaceful protest march in Tottenham dissolved into a violent running battle with police.

Tottenham in north London lit the fuse for severe outbreaks of violence and disorder in Croydon, Brixton, Enfield, Clapham and Wood Green over four days. Rioting spread to Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and other conurbations.

When the dust settled, more than 100 homes had been destroyed along with dozens of businessess, adding up to around ?200 million in damaged property.

A series of police operations followed, with more than 3,000 people arrested and more than 1,000 charged with offences related to the disorder.

The press and public response following the unrest was divided, with many calling for harsher sentences for offenders along with calls for the police to be given more freedom to use force to control crowds.

Others claimed that the scale of the unrest pointed to a decline in relations between police and youth coupled with social exclusion, leading to deep-seated frustration that eventually erupted in violence.

Tottenham MP David Lammy, whose constituency was the trigger-point for some of the worst rioting in a generation, has warned that the social problems highlighted by the riots show no signs of improving. There are fears of fresh outbreaks in 2012.

"We need politicians of all political parties to attend to these issues or it could happen again," he told The Independent.?

"What we saw was not just a battle against the police: it was a battle within and across community,"

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/273932/20111229/london-riots-defining-images-2011.htm

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Wedding Fashion and Style Tips for 2012: What?s "In" and What?s "Out" From the Experts at MiWeddingNeeds.com

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Home / Local / Wedding Fashion and Style Tips for 2012: What?s "In" and What?s "Out" From the Experts at MiWeddingNeeds.com

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SEATTLE, WA? ? Your wedding day is the biggest day of your life, and everything has to be done up in proper style. But what?s ?in? today can be quickly ?out? tomorrow, and you don?t ?

Read more from the original source:
Wedding Fashion and Style Tips for 2012: What?s "In" and What?s "Out" From the Experts at MiWeddingNeeds.com

Tags: Biggest, Life, the-biggest, Wedding, wedding-day, your-life

Source: http://seattle10.cityspur.com/2011/12/29/wedding-fashion-and-style-tips-for-2012-whats-in-and-whats-out-from-the-experts-at-miweddingneeds-com-2/

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Here?s Your Car Back (Theagitator)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/180728235?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Default Twitter call from template for social media contest not working

Your default 'Tweet this' script as appearing in your template for social media contests results in the following error, as per image.

"'Sorry something went wrong'
The client identifier was missing or unknown."

Perhaps Twitter have updated the api call with their 'new twitter' - could you clarify the issue and procide updated code? Everything else is working perfectly on the page (even the Facebook call), but the Twitter call fails every time, and I can't seem to pinpoint that script on the Twitter support site.

Thanks.

Source: http://getsatisfaction.com/unbounce/topics/default_twitter_call_from_template_for_social_media_contest_not_working

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Military Family Housing Manager

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Source: www.dice.com --- Wednesday, December 28, 2011
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Source: http://seeker.dice.com/jobsearch/servlet/JobSearch?op=101&dockey=xml/1/0/105d52be4bde9a720ab3279717ea91ac@endecaindex&c=1&source=11

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Women's Basketball vs. St. Olaf College at St. Peter, Minn.

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: https://gustavus.edu/calendar/women-s-basketball-vs-st-olaf-college-2/32162

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5 Tools to Make Your Business Seem Bigger Online

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

There?s an unpleasant moment that occurs for entrepreneurs more often than it should. Someone asks for your business card, and you hand it over. They say, ?Great, I?ll check out your site!? You say, ?Excellent, but ignore the ?Shop? section ? it?s out of date. And, oh yeah, the email newsletter link isn?t working, but I can add you manually to the list if you want. And ? well the design is a little embarrassing ??

By this point, the person who was excited about your product just moments ago has finished the drink they were sipping and is looking for a polite way to exit the conversation ? immediately.

It used to be the case that developing a robust web presence for your company was expensive and therefore often inaccessible to newer companies or those without large ecommerce or digital marketing budgets. Today, thanks to the ingenuity of fellow entrepreneurs, this is no longer the case. ?You can operate at the same scalability and efficiency of a large company,? says Harley Finkelstein, chief platform officer of Shopify. ?You may not know any angel investors ? today it doesn?t really matter.?

Here are some of the tools that you can use to make your business seem as if you have a giant team ? and bank account ? behind your company?s online presence.



Traditionally, running ad campaigns on large news sites in order to reach millions of potentially qualified leads is cost-prohibitive for anyone without a multimillion-dollar (or at least a many thousand-dollar) advertising budget. But what if you could narrow down the audience so that you were just reaching people who had actually expressed some kind of interest in your product?

ReTargeter allows you to do just that. By adding a simple snippet of code to whatever pages of your site you?d like to track (a similar process to implementing Google Analytics), ReTargeter?s system allows you to purchase advertising that shows up repeatedly for those people who have visited the aforementioned site pages. Voila ? you look like a company that has the budget to wallpaper nytimes.com.

Furthermore, ReTargeter?s reach extends beyond the outlets that some small business owners might be accustomed to. ?If they?re spending that sort of money on display, the real goal is to have access to more inventory than just the Google network,? says founder Arjun Dev Arora. ?We?ve gone out and partnered with Glam, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL and more.?



Once upon a time, a few big players had a lock on the ecommerce market. If you wanted to sell your wares online, you had to play by whatever rules eBay or Etsy set. It?s obvious that today, any potential online store owner can buy a domain name. But, then what?s next?

Shopify was designed to answer that question. Their technology makes it easy to create a totally customized, extremely professional-looking storefront with little technical effort, thanks in large part to its database of pre-designed templates. Shopify also takes care of the back-end, providing analytics, the ability to create special promotions, and tools to accept payments and track your orders.

Finkelstein names iPad cover designer DODOcase as a business that?s leveraged Shopify?s resources well to make the company appear as if it?s created a much larger footprint than it actually has ? and that illusion has helped the company grow its bottom line. ?Today it?s a multimillion dollar business ? and they still don?t have an office,? he says.



Restaurant owners are usually busy with their main objective ? you know, making sure food gets to the table in a timely and delicious manner. But ignoring website upkeep and presence across social media channels is missing an opportunity to connect with and market to customers.

SinglePlatform allows business owners to upload offers, menus and photos to one, well, single platform, and they do the rest, populating the content across social media channels and the company?s own website. Though the company began by serving the restaurant community, it?s now expanded the offerings to all types of businesses ? spas, daycare centers and even sky diving companies. With a few minutes of work a week, you end up looking like you have a dedicated web and social media staff.



Want to create a special offer for the holidays to run on your site? What about five different special offers, depending on where your users are coming from? This could be a nightmare for whatever graphic design resources you have on staff, but Unbounce allows you to create various pages without tapping into your tech team ? it?s a system they say is just as easy to use as PowerPoint.



No matter how big your staff is, it?s simply impossible to always be manning the phones. The last thing you want to do, though, is miss a call that could have turned into a sale. Grasshopper Group enables you to create a professional phone system without the cost or hassle of an enterprise level solution. Add extensions, pre-recorded greetings and (an often necessary evil) hold music. When you do need to miss a call, you can receive your voicemails transcribed as emails for easier processing and forwarding around to stakeholders.

If you?d like to incorporate text messages ? say, notifying a customer of a purchase they just made over the phone ? Twilio is an incredibly robust tool for this very function. The API also allows for innovative integrations and customizations should your business need them.

Do you have any can?t-miss tools for making your website more thoughtful and robust? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: http://mashable.com/2011/12/27/online-business-website-tools/

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Download Opera Mini 6.5.2 for Android

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Source: www.artima.com --- Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Opera Mini 6.5.2 for Android has been released with some improvements such as instability and hangs when using big Opera Link account. Opera Mini is a web browser for mobile devices that offer faster browsing speeds by compressing web pages ? Continue reading ? ...

Source: http://www.artima.com/forums/flat.jsp?forum=196&thread=339038

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Rick Perry Uses Cancer Patient Anecdote To Bash Obama Health ...

Texas Gov. Rick Perry told an anecdote Wednesday in Urbandale, Iowa of a cancer patient who came up to him claiming that the health care law signed by President Barack Obama would mean that she could not get the treatment she needed, despite the fact that the law doesn't bring bureaucrats into medical decisions.

"She came up to me and she said, 'Governor, if you don't get rid of Obamacare, I'm dead," said the GOP presidential candidate, according to ABC News. "She said, 'They will never, they will never take care of me,' and that's a powerful testimony by that lady. We need a program that gets back to where it's the doctor and the patient who's going to be making the decisions about healthcare not some bureaucrat, not some insurance company."

Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain made a similar claim at a September GOP debate, saying that he wouldn't have survived stage four cancer if "Obamacare" had been in place and a "bureaucrat" delayed his treatment.

No part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act allows a "bureaucrat" to intervene in treatment decisions. The closest thing to it is the Independent Payment Advisory Board, responsible for slowing the rising growth of Medicare labeled by critics as a "death panel."

But even the IPAB would not intervene in cases of individual patients. If Medicare spending growth is projected to exceed certain targets, then the IPAB must come up with plans to slow the increase. The board also may not submit "any recommendation to ration health care."

Earlier in the campaign, Perry defended himself against a factually incorrect anecdote relayed by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). She told the story of a woman who came up to her and claimed that her daughter had suffered mental retardation as a result of the HPV vaccine in a September debate -- a claim without any medical evidence. Perry, who signed the 2007 executive order mandating the vaccine in the state of Texas for pre-teen girls, said it had "no basis in fact."

At the Perry appearance, he was introduced by Maricopa County, Ariz. Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has been stripped by the Department of Homeland Security of his federal powers to verify the immigration status of jail inmates after a Dec. 15 Justice Department report blasted him for racially profiling Latinos. Arpaio referred to the state's "Buckeyes," and the audience quickly booed his mention of the mascot of Ohio State University. Arpaio recovered after realizing his error, saying, "It's three o'clock Phoenix time." Perry took the mic, later saying, "You're not going to live that one down for a while -- I'm here to tell ya."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/28/rick-perry-cancer-obama-health-care-joe-arpaio_n_1172855.html

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Apple 2012 rumor: iTV Q2, iPad 3 Q1, iPhone 5 Q4

By Jonny Evans

The Apple [AAPL] future product road map seems a little more clear following a series of revelations across the Christmas weekend, revelations which suggest an iPad 3 model in February, a summer time Apple TV unit and the later introduction of the iPhone 5 just in time for Christmas 2012. Let's take a look at the pack.

Those recent Apple TV rumors

I think the rumor mill has churned this one around sufficiently that we're all expecting an Apple television next year. Now Digitimes tells us that manufacturers have begun ramping-up production for the components used inside the device, which is expected to go into production in Q1 2012.

"The supply chain of Apple will start preparing materials for iTV sets in the first quarter of 2012 in order to meet Apple's schedule to launch the new display products in the second or the third quarter of 2012, according to industry sources."

The report cites no sources for its claims, which predict Apple televisions will be available with screen sizes between 32- and 37-inches.

Processors will be made by Samsung, but it seems likely chips from TMSC and others will also be used as Apple diversifies its processor supply beyond the house of Samsung. Displays, for example, are to be manufactured by Sharp with Foxconn putting together the final build.

Apple seems likely to continue selling its Apple TV set-top box alongside these new televisions.

I can imagine a product like this could easily form the flagship at Apple's WWDC developer event, usually held in June/July. Developers will be interested in new opportunities for apps development for television.

All hail the iPad 3 rumormill

Does Apple plan to introduce the iPad 3 on February 2? That's Steve Jobs' birth date. I can see the symmetry to it, a fitting testament to a great leader, but there's something slightly uncomfortable about it. It's a little like navel-gazing,? but that's the rumor. According to Focus Taiwan, Apple hopes to launch the iPad 3 on Steve Jobs' birthday. Fed. 24, 2012.

That's a couple of weeks in advance of the previously anticipated March launch point, so it is feasible.

"After the iPhone 4S successfully took the tech market by storm, the iPad 3 is widely expected to be Apple's first hit product to be released next year.?Industry sources said the first shipment of the iPad 3 could exceed 4 million units.?Because it is a new gadget, it is taking time for makers in the supply chain to raise their yield rates. The sources said all makers have exercised great caution in ensuring the smooth operations of their production lines," the report explains.

If these claims are true then it appears highly probable we're looking at the new iPad shipping in quantity by the end of March,

Dialling up the iPhone 5

The iPhone 4S is, as I've predicted, storming the Christmas market and setting new sales records. 12.5 times more iOS devices were activated over Christmas than across other weekends, according to Localytics. The device will go on sale in China in January, presumably causing another huge spike in market value.

BGR reports the iPhone 5 (with its NFC and LTE and other beautiful things) will be made available in fall 2012. The device will boast an aluminum back and a rubberized bevel, so will be slightly more robust than existing models.

The new iPhone -- which has previously been pegged for a summer 2012 introduction according to some seers -- will also boast a slightly bigger screen and faster processor.

Sales are booming, prompting Foxconn to lay down $1.1 billion on new manufacturing plant, allowing Apple to double iPhone production capacity -- even before the introduction of the iPhone nano.

One things for sure, when the new iPhone ships next October, Siri won't be a beta any more.

Got a story? Drop me a line via Twitter or in comments below and let me know. I'd like it if you chose to follow me on Twitter so I can let you know when these items are published here first on Computerworld.??????

Source: http://blogs.computerworld.com/19491/apple_2012_rumor_itv_q2_ipad_3_q1_iphone_5_q4?source=rss_cwbloggers

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Military Home Front: Canceled flight can't steal Christmas

Early one December morning, we bundled up the boys and headed out into a blowing New England snowstorm to begin our annual trek home to North Carolina for the holidays.

Besides the snowplow we followed down that dark highway, our minivan was the only vehicle on the road.

We had booked the first flight out, anticipating weather delays and heavy crowds at the airport, which we had grown accustomed to while living in Maine. But a little snow couldn't dampen our spirits. We were going home for Christmas.

When Wade sidled the van up to the curb, a jolly skycap greeted us with more cheer than a crowd of carolers. He joked with the boys and stacked our suitcases on a cart like Santa's sleigh.

The boys were beyond happy. They were giddy. Being military dependents, they had always lived far away from our extended family, which made it difficult to visit often.

Each year, Weston and Wyatt reacquainted themselves with their cousins and, thankfully, 12 months of growth spurts between visits never seemed to change their bonds with one another.

As I waited with the boys and our bags, I noticed that Wade was at the ticket counter longer than usual. I began to get nervous, and the boys were getting antsy. Wade finally made his way over and gave me a quick briefing: There was a problem with our connecting flight from Detroit or Chicago or New York or wherever we were supposed to change planes.

Apparently, the snow had already delayed and canceled flights elsewhere, and ours happened to be one of those "elsewhere" flights. I tried to remain calm and happy so the boys would not sense our holiday was in jeopardy.

Wade went back to the ticket agent while I waited, reassuring the boys, "Daddy is going to work things out," all the while pushing back a sense of dread that had begun to form in my stomach.

Jolly the Skycap passed by with another sleigh full of someone else's bags and noticed us still waiting, the boys parked atop our mountain of bags and blissfully unaware of the frantic search for connecting flights going on at the ticket counter. He stopped to inquire about our predicament, a look of true concern on his face.

The departure time and last call for passengers on our flight came and went, and there we sat, like the Grinch and his little dog with reindeer antlers, atop their mound of stolen gifts and decorations, waiting for the Who's down in Who-ville to wake up and discover Christmas had been snatched right out from under them.

That's when Wade, poor thing, returned to break the awful news that Christmas, or at least our Christmas at home in North Carolina, had indeed been taken away.

There were no seats available on any connecting flights, he announced, and no guarantee that if we flew out of Maine that we'd ever arrive in North Carolina in time for Christmas.

With the likelihood that we might just find ourselves stuck, sleeping on the floor of an airport terminal in a very un-Christmassy place like Wilkes-Barre, Scranton or Cleveland, Wade decided we wouldn't risk the first leg of our trip.

Back to Maine

I couldn't believe that there wasn't one single flight, somewhere, with four seats or even two; Wade and I each could hold one boy in our laps, if need be, to get us home, if not today, tomorrow, or the next day.

We'd come back to the airport in snow, ice or freezing rain for the chance to see our family again.

I suggested we drive. If we started, we could drive all day and through the night to get there in just two short days. The roads were too treacherous, Wade explained.

He obviously already had weighed all our options before leaving the ticket counter, and he had come to the grim conclusion that we had only one: Drive back to our house in Maine and spend our holiday there with just our own little family - no cousins, aunts or uncles, no hugs and kisses from Grandma, no Mom's famous fruitcake, no ripping open presents on Christmas Eve.

The reality sunk in. And it stunk. I knew I shouldn't look over at the boys' faces, for fear I'd burst into sobs myself, but I did it anyway, and my heart broke.

Tears streamed down their once-gleeful faces, their bottom lips quivered uncontrollably; I had to look away to contain myself. I knew I had to stay positive for them. Knowing if I opened my mouth to speak, I'd only cry instead, I chose to stay mute and collect our belongings as Wade left us to retrieve the van from long-term parking.

The now-not-so-Jolly Skycap stood waiting with us at the curb, shaking his head, muttering, "That's not right."

As our Jolly Skycap wished us a Merry Christmas, I think I saw a tear in his eye. It was then that I allowed my own tears to fall, and I sobbed silently all the way home. Of course, we survived that Christmas. It was a beautiful white Christmas, with snow up to the boys' knees.

We spent quiet, lazy days together, just the four of us, and those memories will stay with us forever.

It was that Christmas that I truly learned what all military families know: Christmas is not in a place; it's in your heart.

You can take it with you wherever you go.

Sonya Sparks Murdock can receive messages at military@fayobserver.com or 486-3585.

Source: http://fayobserver.com/articles/2011/12/25/1145181

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Florida Women Steal Christmas Decorations From Their Neighbors To Decorate Their Own Yard


Two Florida women were arrested for stealing their neighbor?s Christmas decorations! The women were caught because they stupidly put up the stolen decorations down the block from the house they stole it from. According to the police, at least $500 worth of Christmas deco was stolen. Read more after the jump.

Julie1205

Police say two South Florida women are accused of stealing Christmas decorations from their neighbor?s yard and putting them in a yard less than a block away.Police in the Miami suburb of Sweetwater say about $500 of items were taken, including Mickey Mouse on a horse, hugging penguins, Snoopy on a doghouse and Santa on a sled.Miami television station WSVN reports surveillance camera video captured the two thieves taking the decorations from the lawn of Inrid Alemendarez?s home (http://bit.ly/tytq7G). She called police Thursday after spotting the decorations on a lawn less than a block away. The women were arrested on charges of grand theft. Their names were not released.

MiamiHerald

Source: http://www.inflexwetrust.com/2011/12/25/florida-women-steal-christmas-decorations-from-their-neighbors-to-decorate-their-own-yard/

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Monday, December 26, 2011

IGN Reviews ? NCAA Football 12 Game Review

December 26, 2011 by admin?

IGN gives its video review of the new college football game NCAA Football 12. What?s the final score on the latest university pigskin title by EA Sports? IGN?s YouTube is just a taste of our content. Get more: www.ign.com Want this week?s top videos? Sign up go.ign.com

Source: http://footballnews-247.com/football/ign-reviews-ncaa-football-12-game-review-2/

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Is Strauss-Kahn staging a political comeback ? on his wife's coattails?

Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn, whose political life seemed over after sexual assault accusations, is back with a speech criticizing the EU. Does this, and his wife's selection as 'Woman of the Year,' signal his comeback?

Seven months ago, accused of sexually assaulting?a hotel maid, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was a man for whom time appeared to have run out.

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The prominent managing director of the International Monetary Fund, the man who was poised to be the Socialist Party's presidential candidate challenging French President Nicolas Sarkozy, was finished, termin?, in the eyes of many. But yesterday, Mr. Strauss-Kahn made his first foray back into public life, giving a well-publicized speech to a Chinese-based Internet firm, blasting Europe for the eurozone crisis. And on the same day, Strauss-Kahn?s wife, Anne Sinclair, was named ?Woman of the Year? in a public opinion poll for her ?loyalty and courage? in standing by her man.

In his speech to the Chinese Internet company NetEase in Beijing, Strauss-Kahn let it be known he was not impressed with the restructuring of the European Union?s single-currency zone, hammered together by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Strauss-Kahn?s apparent rival, French President Sarkozy.

?None of the main problems has been addressed,? he said. ?There?s no central budget in Europe, no institutional centres, no lender of last resort, no expansion of the monetary policy.?

The French paper Le Monde carried more from Strauss-Kahn?s speech, which is translated here:

"With the recent storm, the raft seems not to?be?strong enough,? he said, speaking of the eurozone.??The fact that the euro is still in the middle of the river and that the union budget is not completed makes it very, very vulnerable, and the raft seems about to sink. (...)?I am not convinced that [French President] Sarkozy and [German Chancellor] Madame?Merkel will understand each other and this is probably one of the reasons why the European system has problems ahead,? he said.

Is it because the French public is, like Strauss-Kahn, pessimistic about the Eurozone bailout plan, or is it because they are simply sick of Sarkozy? Whatever the reasons, the French seem more than willing to overlook or move past Strauss-Kahn?s fall from grace?and see him return to the public stage.

Strauss-Kahn was?accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid in New York City last May. Before that, he was the main challenger to Sarkozy in the upcoming 2012 presidential elections. Instead, he was escorted off his plane back to France in handcuff and put through a ?perp walk? by New York City police. He resigned his position as head of the IMF and spent the next few months preparing his defense.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/qAahvrAbxaE/Is-Strauss-Kahn-staging-a-political-comeback-on-his-wife-s-coattails

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

(AP)

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/nkorea/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111224/ap_on_re_as/as_apnewsalert

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Britain slams Argentina, vows to protect Falklands (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? Britain said on Friday that Argentinian-led efforts to ban ships flying the Falkland Islands flag from South American ports were "unjustified and counterproductive" and vowed to protect the territory's sovereignty.

The comments by Prime Minister David Cameron were the government's strongest yet as tensions between Britain and Argentina escalated almost 30 years after the two countries went to war over the British-ruled islands.

On Tuesday the South American trading bloc Mercosur announced the ship ban in act of solidarity with Argentina.

"Argentina continues its unjustified and counterproductive efforts to disrupt shipping around the islands and to deter business from engaging in legitimate commerce," Cameron said in a Christmas radio message to the Falkland Islands.

"Let me be absolutely clear. We will always maintain our commitment to you on any question of sovereignty. Your right to self-determination is the cornerstone of our policy," he said.

Britain has controlled the South Atlantic islands, located about 300 miles off the eastern coast Argentina, since 1833. Its two-month war with Argentina in 1982 resulted in the deaths of 255 British and about 650 Argentine soldiers.

The British government says it will only agree to sovereignty talks if the territory's 3,000 residents ask it to, and that the islanders want to remain British.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez has rejected the argument as a display of "mediocrity bordering on stupidity" and earlier this year called Britain a "crass colonial power in decline" for refusing to hold talks over the islands, known as Las Malvinas in Spanish.

In his radio message, Cameron said it was in British interests to have a constructive relationship with Argentina, but said he would never accept what he said were Argentine efforts to challenge the islands' right to self-determination.

Diplomatic tensions over the islands have increased in recent years over offshore oil exploration.

The spat is also gaining steam ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war in April, a planned military stint on the islands early next year by RAF helicopter pilot Prince William, and the release of the film "The Iron Lady" about Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister who led Britain in the war with Argentina.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Editing by Alessandra Rizzo)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111223/wl_nm/us_britain_argentina_falklands

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Lawyers for Sheen's ex-wife fear media frenzy (AP)

ASPEN, Colo. ? Attorneys for Charlie Sheen's ex-wife want to stop what they expect to be a media frenzy when she appears in court on drug and assault charges.

Attorneys asked a judge to deny a live Internet feed from the courtroom requested by TMZ Productions when Brooke Mueller appears on Jan. 23.

The 34-year-old Mueller faces a felony charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and a misdemeanor assault charge.

She was arrested Dec. 3 after a woman reported being assaulted at a nightclub.

The Aspen Times reported ( http://bit.ly/rWhvw7) that police found between four and five grams of cocaine when they contacted Mueller.

Sheen and Mueller divorced earlier this year after Sheen was arrested on suspicion of assaulting her in 2009. He completed his probation in November 2010.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111222/ap_en_ot/us_mueller_sheen_arrest

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Wade, James say time has made them even closer (AP)

MIAMI ? Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are known to bicker like brothers. They screamed at one another more than once during Miami Heat playoff games last season. And when they're on opposite teams in practice, they attack the other like they would any opponent.

Now they're closer than ever.

And on the cusp of entering Year 2 together with the Heat, Wade and James opened up about their friendship Friday in an interview with The Associated Press.

"I don't think many players that have the similar games as we have or have done the things that we did in the league can come together this fast and make it work," Wade said. "That communication is there. I don't mind him saying something to me. I don't mind when I have to say something to him. We know how to make it work."

They have so much in common that both find it almost funny sometimes.

Forget the obvious stuff: They're both among the NBA's highest-paid players, then make another truckload of money annually in endorsements. They're both among the league's best scorers, perennial All-Stars, among the most recognizable athletes in the world. What's often forgotten is the ties that really bind, like both having difficult times as kids, relying on one parent at a time and soon understanding that basketball was the vehicle for changing their lives.

James is 6-foot-8, Wade is 6-foot-4. James is from Akron, Wade from Chicago. James loves tattoos, Wade doesn't have any. James went to the NBA straight out of high school, Wade went to college first.

Nonetheless, Wade and James basically look at each other as mirror images.

"That had a lot to do with me coming down here," James said. "There's nothing that I've seen that he hasn't seen, and vice versa. To be able to be alongside him, be with him every day and basically go through the same things on the court and off the court, it's great. Sometimes you're able to sit back and see things from a different perspective instead of everybody watching you."

They take their cues from each other, whether it is fashion, workout regimens or just where to sit sometimes. For Friday's post-practice interview, Wade slid his body down a wall in a room adjacent to the Heat training facility, slumping to the floor.

"Tired," Wade said.

Two minutes later, James entered the room. Even though he didn't see how Wade took his seat, he did the same thing, putting his back to the wall and sliding to the red carpet.

"Tired," James said.

Maybe it's more than a coincidence.

"What's the saying? Iron sharpens iron. Greatness breeds greatness," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "So you see an example of that next to you. Those guys want to be challenged. Those guys like to be challenged. They do not accept the success that they've had and where they are right now. They're always trying to push to go to the next level. And there's no better way for them to do that than to have an equal peer next to them, pushing them."

The biggest question when Wade, James and Chris Bosh teamed up in July 2010 was will it work?

There have been bumps in the road, and likely there will be a few more ? but they are making it work.

James finished second in the league in scoring, Wade finished fourth. Since 1965, the only other time two teammates were among the NBA's top four scorers, and played for a team that went to the NBA finals was 2001, when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal did it for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Of course, Bryant and O'Neal won the title; Dallas beat Miami in last season's finals. And James and Wade will get yet another reminder of that defeat Sunday when the Heat open their season against the Mavericks ? and watch the new champs raise their title banner.

"For us, getting better is not necessarily going to show in our numbers," Wade said. "It's going to show in our leadership. It's going to show in those moments where we get in those games like the finals where we're up 10 in the fourth quarter, how do we help our team get that win no matter what's going on in the game. It's moreso that, not just how we score the ball, rebound, pass. We're going to have those numbers. It's the other things."

Last year in training camp, Wade and James wanted to be on separate teams in practice, trying to set a tone for workouts. This year, with an abbreviated training camp and the core of last year's Eastern Conference championship team back, the mano-a-mano matchups haven't happened much, their preference being to keep Miami's first unit together as much as possible to get sharp for the season.

That's fine with James and Wade.

"I'd rather not go against him," James said. "We're two competitors. We go against each other at practice at times. But I've found it's definitely better to have him by my side."

When the Heat got James, the team got a two-time MVP, and both players got ? of all things ? child-care help.

An interesting perk, for certain, but it's just another tie that binds. James has two sons, Wade has two sons, and the kids are all of relatively similar ages. They hang out often, overnighting and playing together, sometimes going so late that the dads are still a bit sleepy when they arrive for work the next day. It speaks to the level of trust James and Wade have with each other as well.

The way they see it, if you can trust a teammate with your kids, you probably can trust him with the basketball with the game on the line, too.

"There's things we knew from afar," Wade said. "Our moms struggled. We both played this game at a high level. We knew that. But when you're around each other every day, you get to really learn the ins and outs. Things that LeBron deals with sometimes, I'm like, `Oh my God, I got that call yesterday.' It's not a lot of things that you'd see that we have in common. But I understand him. And he understands me."

___

Follow Tim Reynolds on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ByTimReynolds

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_heat_wade_and_james

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LHC discovers 'particle', starts repaying back that five billion

The Large Hadron Collider at CERN was built to discover new life forms and new civilizations particles to complete the Standard Model of physics, of which the Higgs-Boson is only a part. The $5 billion project has finally found something previously unseen, according to the BBC. ATLAS has picked up Chi-b 3P: a Boson (building block of nature) comprised of a "beauty quark" and a "beauty anti-quark," bound together with a strong nuclear force -- believed to exist in nature, but never seen until now. Yesterday's discovery is so new, it hasn't even had a sigma rating yet, but we don't expect CERN to confirm the find until its next two hour keynote.

LHC discovers 'particle', starts repaying back that five billion originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/22/lhc-discovers-particle-starts-repaying-back-that-five-billion/

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Many Americans brace for loss of payroll tax cut (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Some say they'll spend less on groceries. Others expect to cut back on travel. For many, there would be fewer meals out.

Across the country, Americans are bracing for another financial hardship: smaller paychecks starting in January, if Congress doesn't break a deadlock and renew a Social Security tax cut.

The tax cut, which took effect this year, benefits 160 million Americans ? $1,000 a year, or nearly $20 a week, for someone making $50,000, as much as $4,272 or $82 a week for a household with two high-paid workers.

The tax cut is set to expire Jan. 1. If lawmakers don't renew it for 2012, analysts say the economy would slow as individuals and families looked for ways to spend less.

"Of course, it changes my plans," said Craig Duffy, an information-technology worker from Philadelphia and new father of twins. Duffy said his family already has tightened spending, so "we'll have to find a way to cut back."

That might mean canceling a planned trip to visit the twins' grandparents in Wisconsin, Duffy said.

The tax cut is part of legislation that would also renew benefits for the long-term unemployed. If the unemployment benefits aren't renewed, starting in January nearly 6 million people would lose weekly checks averaging about $300 ? the main source of income for most of them.

House Republicans have rejected a Senate-passed bill that would extend the payroll tax cut for two months and let the long-term unemployed continue to receive benefits during that time. That plan would give lawmakers time to work on a yearlong extension.

But most lawmakers have left Washington, and no negotiations are scheduled before the year ends.

If Congress doesn't renew the two measures for 2012, analysts say the economy's growth would slow by as much as 1 percentage point.

Less money in paychecks means less consumer spending, which powers the U.S. economy. Many people who say they already depend on each paycheck for living expenses say they can't cut spending deeply. Instead, they'll trim at the edges, wherever they can.

"It will limit my spending from week to week," said Jennifer Stempel, an office manager from Denver.

Stempel said that could mean making fewer impulse buys at the grocery store, packing her lunch each day and rejoining a carpool she quit after gas prices declined this year.

"I was starting to relax about (travel expenses), but now I don't know," Stempel said.

Michael Allara of Raleigh, N.C., said a higher tax would further pressure his family, which includes three small children.

"I'm already trying to save as much as I can to pay for college," Allara said. "I don't know where the money would come from."

The tax cut lowered the Social Security tax on incomes of up to $106,800 from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent. It's meant a maximum savings of $2,136 for an individual.

Without a deal, Americans would begin 2012 facing a tax increase just as an election year begins.

Smaller paychecks and reduced spending would coincide with a still-vulnerable period for the U.S. economy. Though growth has strengthened in the final months of 2011, some analysts say the gains might be hard to sustain. Workers' pay isn't rising much. And Europe may be on the verge of a recession that would undermine the American economy.

"A failure to extend the payroll tax holiday and the extended unemployment benefits would be a serious hit to the economy," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "The risk of a recession would rise and be uncomfortably high, particularly early next year, when the fallout from Europe's troubles will be the greatest."

Zandi predicts that the U.S. economy will grow 2.6 percent in 2012 ? if Congress renews the tax cut and long-term unemployment benefits. Otherwise, he foresees 1.7 percent growth. He estimates the higher Social Security tax would reduce growth by 0.6 percentage point, and the loss of extended unemployment aid would subtract an additional 0.3 percentage point.

Other economists have made similar estimates. Many noted that the Social Security tax cut helped the economy avoid a recession in 2011, after high gasoline prices squeezed households, Japan's earthquake reduced supplies to U.S. factories and budget cuts by state and local governments and a stalemate in Washington slowed growth.

The extension of unemployment benefits helped, too. Most states provide up to 26 weeks of benefits. The program that's set to expire extended those benefits for up to 99 weeks in states with the highest unemployment rates. A proposal approved by the House last week would extend benefits for up to 79 weeks.

Unless the long-term benefits are renewed, 2.2 million people will lose benefits by mid-February, and that number will rise to 3.6 million by the end of March.

Analysts note that Americans of all income levels would be hurt by the loss of the payroll tax cut.

Higher-income Americans receive the biggest share of tax breaks, so the end of the tax cut would reduce their pay most. Economists note that the highest-earning 20 percent of Americans contribute nearly 40 percent of consumer spending. And for 2012, the Social Security tax will apply to the first $110,100 of wages, up from $106,800 in 2011.

Still, lower- and moderate-income taxpayers tend to spend more of any extra pay they receive. So the loss of a tax benefit tends to reduce their spending most sharply.

Shana Albright, a fundraiser for a nonprofit health care company in St. Louis, said she would have to cut back on dining out and shopping. If she didn't have the tax break this month, she would have cut back on holiday gift buying, she said.

"It's definitely my spending money," Albright said.

Some analysts say they think election-minded lawmakers will renew the tax cut and long-term unemployed benefits sometime in 2012. If they did, they could also make the tax cut retroactive to Jan. 1.

That might cause headaches for company payroll departments. But it would be a boon for struggling Americans.

"After all the arguments, Congress will extend the two programs," said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Global Insight. "I can't imagine that lawmakers will want to be blamed for the economy being even weaker than it is now. They would be committing political suicide."

___

AP Business Writers Daniel Wagner in Washington, Christopher Leonard in St. Louis and Bree Fowler in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111221/ap_on_bi_ge/us_payroll_tax_cut_economy

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NBA roundup: Spurs slip past Rockets

ASSOCIATED PRESS

? Tim Duncan scored 19 points and Tony Parker added 15 to help the San Antonio Spurs hold off the Houston Rockets for a 97-95 preseason win on Wednesday night.

Jeremy Lin's driving layup capped a 10-0 run that tied it 95-all with 34.6 seconds left, but rookie Kawhi Leonard hit a 20-footer from the left wing to give the Spurs the win.

Reserve Marcus Morris scored 20 points, and Chase Budinger and Kyle Lowry each added 10 for Houston.

Duncan's block of Lowry combined with a pretty bounce pass on a James Anderson layup sparked a 6-0 run to break a 70-70 third-quarter tie.

Duncan and Parker returned to the starting lineup after sitting out Saturday's preseason opener against the Rockets in Houston.

Parker scored 11 of his 15 points in the first quarter to lead the Spurs to a 14-4 lead before the Rockets made a run to close the quarter down by six.

Houston's second-unit led by Morris put the Rockets up 53-51 at the half.

Orlando 104, Miami 100: Glen Davis had 18 points, Dwight Howard and Jason Richardson each added 15 and the Magic overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to beat the Heat.

LeBron James had 27 points and Dwyane Wade added 21 for the Heat. Reserve Norris Cole chipped in 11 points.

Minnesota 85, Milwaukee 84: Michael Beasley made two free throws with 9.1 seconds left to lift the Timberwolves over the Bucks. Kevin Love, who had 22 points and 16 rebounds, hit a 3-pointer to cut Milwaukee's lead to 84-83. Luke Ridnour intercepted Larry Sanders' poor inbound pass on the next possession and Beasley did the rest for Minnesota, which overcame a 10-point deficit.

New Orleans 95, Memphis 80: Chris Kaman scored 18 points and Eric Gordon added 17 in their first game with New Orleans, leading the Hornets over the Grizzlies

Boston 81, Toronto 73: Rajon Rondo scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half, leading the Boston Celtics to an 81-73 victory over Toronto on Wednesday night and a sweep of their two-game preseason series with the Raptors.

New York 88, New Jersey 82: Carmelo Anthony had 21 points and eight rebounds, and the Knicks tuned up for the NBA season opener by beating the Nets.

Golden State's Ellis accused of sexual harassment

OAKLAND, Calif. ? A former Golden State Warriors employee filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against star guard Monta Ellis on Wednesday, alleging Ellis sent her unwanted texts that included a photo of his genitals.

In her lawsuit, which also names the team, Erika Ross Smith alleges Ellis began sending her several dozen explicit messages, sometimes several times a day, starting in November 2010 while she worked for the team's community relations department.

The messages included lines such as, "I want to be with you," and "Hey Sexy," and periodically asked her what she was wearing or doing, according to the lawsuit.

Smith would often reply with "What do you want?" or "I am sleeping," the lawsuit claims.

Ellis' agent, Jeffrey Fried, said Wednesday that he was en route to Oakland and didn't immediately have a comment.

According to the lawsuit, the Warriors changed Smith's job description and eventually fired her after Ellis' wife, Juanika Ellis, learned of the texts and complained to team executives in January.

Bryant has torn wrist ligament

LOS ANGELES ? Kobe Bryant did not play in the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason finale against the Clippers on Wednesday night because of a torn ligament in his right wrist. His status for the season opener on Christmas Day is up in the air.

Source: http://www.statesman.com/sports/nba-roundup-spurs-slip-past-rockets-2046787.html?cxtype=rss_sports

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

NASA finds Earth-size planets outside solar system

WASHINGTON | Wed Dec 21, 2011 9:22am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NASA's Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-size planets orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system, a milestone in the search for planets like the earth, the space agency said on Tuesday.

The planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are the smallest planets outside the solar system confirmed around a star like the Sun, NASA said in a statement.

The planets are too close to their star to be in the so-called habitable zone where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface.

"This discovery demonstrates for the first time that Earth-size planets exist around other stars, and that we are able to detect them," Francois Fressin of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said in the statement.

The new planets are thought to be rocky. Kepler-20e is slightly smaller than Venus, measuring 0.87 times the radius of Earth.

Kepler-20f is slightly larger than Earth, measuring 1.03 times its radius. Both planets are in a five-planet system called Kepler-20, about 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Lyra.

Kepler-20e orbits its parent star every 6.1 days and Kepler-20f every 19.6 days.

Kepler-20f, at 800 degrees Fahrenheit, is similar to an average day on the planet Mercury. The surface temperature of Kepler-20e, at more than 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit, would melt glass.

The Kepler space telescope detects planets and planet candidates by measuring dips in the brightness of more than 150,000 stars as planets cross in front their stars.

NASA is an acronym for National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Jerry Norton)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/UDwCn3Yq_cQ/us-nasa-planets-idUSTRE7BJ22E20111221

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Monday, December 19, 2011

Nintendo completes 3DS Ambassador program, delivers 10 GBA games to early adopters

If you've still got the 3DS price drop blues, perhaps a fresh (and final) infusion of free games will help. Early adopters that signed into the Nintendo eShop before August 11th will find ten GameBoy Advance games tacked on to their handheld's purchase history, retrievable via the same clunky redownload system that delivered the 3DS Ambassador program's NES titles. Thankfully, the unintuitive process is relatively simple -- just hop into the eShop's menu, scroll down to "Settings / Other", and select "Your Downloads," to claim your (potentially-exclusive) games. Short of having a 3DS guide us through the Louvre, we can't think of a better use for Nintendo's fledgling handheld.

Nintendo completes 3DS Ambassador program, delivers 10 GBA games to early adopters originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/16/nintendo-completes-3ds-ambassador-program-delivers-10-gba-games/

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Targeted Radiation for Breast Cancer May Be Overused: Study ...

FRIDAY Dec. 16, 2011 -- The number of women with breast cancer who receive targeted radiation to the breast after a lumpectomy has jumped dramatically over the last decade.

However, only about a third of these women were considered "suitable" for the treatment, according to criteria used in a new study published in the Dec. 16 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

But guidelines on which women should or should not receive this type of radiation treatment, known as brachytherapy, are only newly published and it's unclear what the findings might mean to current breast cancer patients.

Use of "accelerated partial breast irradiation using brachytherapy" has risen steadily since about 2002, said study author Dr. Jona Hattangadi, a radiation oncologist with Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program in Boston.

Although brachytherapy is vastly more convenient (taking place over the course of a week rather than six weeks), the worry is that directed radiation isn't comprehensive enough to find and kill all cancer cells lingering in the breast as compared with the current standard, whole breast radiation (WBI).

So, in 2009, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued the first guidelines for the use of brachytherapy, which identified patients as either "suitable," "cautionary" (suitability unclear) or "unsuitable" for the treatment, depending on a number of factors including age as well as various tumor characteristics.

These authors rounded up data on 138,815 U.S. women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer from 2000 to 2007 and who had either undergone brachytherapy or whole breast irradiation after a lumpectomy.

Some 2.6 percent of women underwent brachytherapy, two thirds of whom were either deemed "cautionary" (29.6 percent) or "unsuitable" (36.2 percent) according to ASTRO criteria.

Only about a third (32 percent) of patients would have been considered suitable under ASTRO's recommendations, the study authors said.

Use of brachytherapy rose from less than 1 percent in 2000 to almost 7 percent in 2007, but this varied greatly between geographical regions, the researchers noted.

For instance, women in urban areas were more likely to get brachytherapy than women in rural areas, which is surprising given that rural women would have the most to benefit from the convenience.

And white women were more likely to get brachytherapy than black women if they were considered "cautionary" or "unsuitable."

It's unclear what accounts for the variation or for the rise in numbers, although the authors did postulate that reimbursement patterns may play a role. Medicare started reimbursing for brachytherapy in 2004.

The main drawback of this study, the authors acknowledged, is that the data was gathered before the ASTRO guidelines were published.

Dr. Eric Horwitz, M.D., chair of radiation oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, agreed that brachytherapy is "not for everybody" but that "it's an excellent technique if used on the right patients."

But who is the right patient? Generally people with smaller, localized tumors, he said.

Still, in the absence of long-term data, Hattangadi recommends that women getting treatment for early-stage breast cancer have a "thorough discussion with their physicians on the pros and cons of the approach."

The findings come just a week after presenters at a national conference found that women who had brachytherapy had double the rate of mastectomy later on compared with women who got whole breast irradiation. That study was led by Dr. Benjamin Smith of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on radiation therapy for cancer.

Posted: December 2011


Source: http://www.drugs.com/news/targeted-radiation-breast-cancer-may-overused-study-35438.html

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